Alex Tyree (Thomas Jane), a Texas ranger joins British Intelligence agents Darby (Dominique Tipper) and her superior (Darby (John Malkovich) on a mission to hunt down a terrorist, Declan McBride (Dean Jagger), who's planning to detonate a bomb in London.

      The screenplay by writer/director Jesse V. Johnson begins as a Western before morphing into a mindless, overwrought and shallow action thriller. When you first meet Alex, he's chasing some criminals in a Texas desert. Little does he know that he's about to cross paths with a bigger criminal, Declan, who gets captured before escaping. Soon enough, British Intelligence agents bring Alex on their team to help them stop Declan from blowing up London with a bomb. Once Alex's true plans in London are revealed, One Ranger takes a nosedive and loses steam because there's no mystery to solve left. Writer/director Jesse V. Johnson neglects to humanize any of the characters, so they're merely caricatures with little to no backstory. The plot just goes through the motions without any wit or comic relief, so it becomes somewhat tedious, monotonous and pedestrian. Is it too much to ask to give Alex some personality? He's a very bland hero and not the brightest, either, since Declan manages to escape from him in Texas. The same can be said about Declan who's just as forgettable. What ensues after Alex arrives in London is just a long cat-and-mouse chase that's somewhat exciting--this doesn't even come close to Ronin, a cult classic and guilty pleasure, though.

      One Ranger has to elements going for it that keep it afloat: thrlling action scenes and Thomas Jane's charisma. He's not quite as charismatic as Keanu Reeves is in John Wick, but he does manage to breathe some much-needed life into his role through his charismatic performance. It's too bad that he's stuck with a dull and unimaginative screenplay. The cinematography is average at best without adding visual style or panache. The pace moves briskly, though, so at least the film avoids becoming a lethargic bore. At a running time of 1 hour and 35 minutes, One Ranger is a mildly engaging, but mindless and dull action thriller elevated by Thomas Jane's charisma and thrilling action scenes.
  

      Kazim (Shazad Latif), a doctor, and his next door neighbor, Zoe (Lily James), a documentary filmmaker, have been friends since childhood. Zoe documents Kazim's journey to find a Pakistani wife through an arranged marriage because his parents are putting the pressure on him to get married according to Muslim tradition.

      The screenplay by Jemima Khan initially seems like it might become a sparkling romcom in the vein of When Harry Met Sally..., but instead it turns into a schmaltzy, contrived, conventional and sugar-coated film that takes no risks and plays it too safely. There's a somewhat funny innuendo that briefly generates some laughs in the first act, though, which hint at what could've been a subversively funny, irreverent comedy, i.e like the title of Zoe's documentary project "Love Contractually". Zoe has an overbearing mother (Emma Thompson) who desperately wants her to get married because she fears that, otherwise, she'll end up a spinster. When Zoe confronts her about how she feels like she'll be judged by her for not being with a man, her mom goes on a preachy rant about how she doesn't want her to be alone and that shouldn't shut people out of her life. Her mom doesn't quite acknowledge her hurtful actions or the consequences of her actions, so her character arc isn't very believable. It's not quite clear what her own childhood was like that might've led to her need to control her daughter's love life. You also learn very little about Kazim's soon-to-be Pakistani wife. Is she not a human being with feelings, too? The ending can be seen from a mile away which isn't a good sign, so, yes, this is the kind of film that you can leave to go to the bathroom, return, and feel like you didn't miss anything because you could easily see where it's going---and you'd probably predict it correctly unless you haven't seen a romcom before. What's Love Got to Do with It? isn't a terrible film nor does it, but it just pales compared to far more smart, surprising and funny romcoms like When Harry Met Sally... and Love Actually.

      Unfortunately, Lily James and Shazad Latif lack palpable chemistry on screen. They look cute together, but nothing more, so it's hard to truly care whether or not Kazim and Zoe will end up together. Neither of them has good comedic timing when the film calls for comic relief. To be fair, the dull screenplay doesn't provide them with enough of a window into their characters' heart, mind and soul. Moreover, the cinematography, editing, soundtrack and set design are all mediocre and bland at best without adding much in terms of style. The film often looks like a made-for-TV movie or a sitcom because of how it's shot and lit. At a running time of 1 hour and 48 minutes, What's Love Got to Do with It is a harmless and intermittently funny, but conventional romcom without enough surprises, wit or insight about love or friendship.
  

      After the death of her father, Jaime (Anwen O'Driscoll) moves in with her aunt, Beth (Liane Balaban), and uncle, Jean-Francois (Antoine Yared), who are Jehovah's Witnesses living in a Jehovah's Witness community. She meets Marike (June Laporte), the daughter of Jehovah's Witness Elder, and their friendship blossoms into a forbidden romance.

      The screenplay by co-writers/directors Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky barely allows the audience to learn what Jaime's life is like at home with her father. Before you know it, he dies and she gets sent off to the Jehovah's Witness community to live with her aunt and uncle. Before you know it, she meets and falls in love with Marike in a community where LGBTQ relationships aren't allowed. The filmmakers do an effective job of not turning anyone in the community into a villain even though Jaime and Marike have to hide their relationship from others and suppress their emotions. They clearly live in a toxic environment where they can't be truly happy together. Marike isn't the kind of person to stand up to her family to confront them or to run away from them. The story takes place in the 90's before the days of the internet and when LGBTQ didn't have as many rights as they do nowadays--that was back during the days of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It's easy to see where the plot of You Can Live Forever is heading toward because Jaime and Marike's relationship is doomed unless they can escape the community somehow. The filmmakers avoid maudlin and melodramatic scenes or diving deeply into dark territory. It doesn't turn into a thriller either like Bones and All. There's some on-the-nose dialogue, but also a lot that remains unspoken and understated concurrently. That said, the bittersweet tone becomes monotonous without much-needed levity. Moreover, it's hard to grasp what's going on in Marike's mind because she remains underdeveloped as a character despite that there's a lot going on inside of her emotionally. You Can Live Forever squanders its opportunity to humanize her enough to make the story as powerful, illuminating and haunting as other LGBTQ coming-of-age films like Show Me Love.

      You Can Live Forever also suffers from uneven, clunky pacing with some scenes that feel too short during the first act and scenes that overstay their welcome during the second and third act. Anwen O'Driscoll and June Laporte give convincingly moving performances that provide emotional resonance. They have palpable chemistry together. Unfortunately, the poignant moments rarely come from the shallow screenplay. However, co-writers/directors Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky grasp the power of quietness and that a lot can be communicated visually without anything being spoken---body language speaks volumes, especially in the last scene that won't be spoiled here. They also include some visual poetry with some beautifully-shot scenes with Jaime and Marike together. At a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes, You Can Live Forever is a mildly engaging, but monotonous and underwhelming coming-of-age story with moving performances.